Refrigerator Case Wall Structure

ABSTRACT

A refrigerated case has a base and a number of supports extending upward from the base. A number of structural uprights are coupled to the supports. At least one insulated panel is positioned between the uprights and the supports and is secured to the uprights and the supports. A refrigeration apparatus is positioned to cool an interior of the case. At least the first of the panels has front and rear liner sheets. A transversely extending polymeric layer is at least partially between the liner sheets. An insulative foam layer is between the front and rear liner sheets. A number of fasteners secure at least some of the supports to the polymeric member and at least some of the uprights to the polymeric member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to refrigerator cases. More particularly, the invention relates to structural integration of insulated panels in walls of such cases.

Refrigerator cases (generically including freezers) are used in a variety of commercial situations. One key use is for retail display and vending. Many such cases include a closed rear wall and either an open front or a glass door front.

Insulation of the compartment of such cases relative to their external structure is important for a number of reasons. In addition to basic efficiency concerns, insulation may be appropriate to avoid or control condensation on components external to the compartment. This may be motivated by sanitary considerations in addition to refrigerator case longevity.

In refrigerator case engineering and manufacturing, modularity has been a relevant consideration. It is advantageous to be able to use at least some of the same components when producing a variety of sizes and/or configurations of case. Configurations have been developed that include combinations of external and internal structural components. These components can be coupled to each other through insulated panels. An exemplary configuration is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,826. In that patent, one or more insulated panels intervene between external and internal structural members. Studded dog bone-shaped mounting elements are embedded within the foam panels with the studs protruding from surfaces of the panels. The studs may be engaged to internal and external structural members to structurally couple such members.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one aspect of the invention involves a refrigerated case having a base and a number of supports extending upward from the base. A number of structural uprights are coupled to the supports. At least one insulated panel is positioned between the uprights and the supports and is secured to the uprights and the supports. A refrigeration apparatus is positioned to cool an interior of the case. At least the first of the panels has front and rear liner sheets. A transversely extending polymeric layer is at least partially between the liner sheets. An insulative foam layer is between the front and rear liner sheets. A number of fasteners secure at least some of the supports to the polymeric member and at least some of the uprights to the polymeric member.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a refrigerator case.

FIG. 2 is a partially schematic side sectional view of the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse horizontal sectional view of the case of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a back view of the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an insulated panel junction of the case of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of an insulated panel.

FIG. 7 is a partially schematic side sectional view of an alternative refrigerator case.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a refrigerator case 20 having a front 22, a back 24, and left and right ends 26 and 28. For purposes of reference, front, back, left, and right, are taken from the point of view of the case itself rather than a user facing the case. The case includes a base structure 30, a rear wall structure 32, and a top structure 34. The case has a cooled interior volume or compartment 36. The exemplary case has a series of vertical groups of shelves 38. The exemplary case is a closed case having a sliding or hinged glass door front structure 40 and patch end or partition structures 42 and 44. Partitions are used where cases are arrayed side-by-side; patch ends are used at the two ends of the array. Alternative cases are open-front.

The exemplary base 30 includes front and back transverse rails 50 and 52 for supporting the remainder of the base and, therethrough, the remainder of the case atop a ground/floor surface. The exemplary base 30 contains the refrigeration equipment (e.g., an evaporator, and the like shown schematically as 60 in FIG. 2). The evaporator may be connected to a central compressor and condenser elsewhere in the facility. Alternatively, the case equipment could be self-contained. FIG. 2 further schematically shows an air flowpath having a first portion 510 carrying cooled air from the equipment 60 to a rear air flowpath section or duct 62. A second portion 512 flows upward through the rear duct 62. A third portion 514 flows forward from the top of rear duct 62 through a top duct 64. A fourth portion 516 exits the top duct near the forward end of the top 34 and is discharged downward along the front 22. A return portion 518 is drawn back into the equipment 60 through a grate 66 near the forward top portion of the base 30 immediately in front of a base cover member 68.

FIG. 3 shows further details of the rear duct 62. The duct 62 is segmented by a series of interior uprights including a left upright 70, a right upright 72, and a series of intermediate uprights 74. Forwardly, the duct segments are each bounded by an associated duct panel 80 (e.g., mounted by fasteners 81 to side portions of forward flanges 82 of the adjacent two uprights). As is discussed in further detail below, each shelf 38 may be mounted to these uprights (e.g., a single width shelf spanning and mounted to exactly two adjacent such uprights via mounting apertures in root portions of the flanges 82). Rearwardly, the duct segments are collectively bounded by the forward surfaces of panels of an insulated panel assembly 84. FIG. 2 shows the panel assembly 84 as including an upper panel 86 and a lower panel 88.

FIGS. 2 and 3 further show the base 30 as including a series of support brackets or braces 90 extending front-to-back spanning the rails 50 and 52. Mounted to and extending upward from a rear end portion of each brace 90 is a rear external support 92. Each support 92 has a lower end 94 mounted to the rear end portion 96 of the associated brace 90 and has an upper end 98. As is discussed in further detail below, the panel assembly 84 is sandwiched between the uprights 70, 72, and 74 along the front and the supports 92 along the rear.

It is advantageous to structurally couple the supports 90 to the uprights 70, 72, and 74 so that the supports can maintain the uprights vertical against torque and resultant bending associated with the cantilevering of loaded shelves 38. Advantageously, however, the coupling limits heat transmission from the supports to the uprights or otherwise through the panel assembly 84.

FIG. 5 shows the upper panel 86 as including an insert 100 along a lower edge 102. The insert 100 is of a relatively rigid polymeric material (e.g., cellular PVC) between fore and aft face sheets 104 and 106 (described further below). The panel 86 includes a foam core 108 (e.g., of expanded polyurethane). Fasteners 110 and 112 respectively secure the uprights and the braces to the insert 100. The relative rigidity of the insert 100 is effective to maintain engagement with the fasteners and transmit force between the uprights and braces. Exemplary fasteners are screws such as self-boring/drilling, self-tapping sheet metal-type screws. The exemplary insert 100 may be manufactured by the Celuka process. The exemplary insert 100 has a cross-section generally rectangular (e.g., with rounded corners) with its longer dimension between the sheets 104 and 106. Along the inboard of the long sides is a central recess 114. The recess 114 serves to provide increased surface area to promote adhesion and mechanical interlocking of the core 108 to the insert 100. In the exemplary embodiment, the other long side is substantially unrecessed.

FIG. 3 shows the left 70 and right 72 uprights as approximately inwardly-open C-sectioned members having a single fastener 110 extending through their rear flanges 120. Exemplary intermediate uprights 74 are generally I-sectioned, having a pair of screws 110 extending through a rear flange 122 generally on opposite sides of a central web or leg 124. The supports 92 have a generally rearwardly-open C-section and each have a pair of the screws 112 extending through their central forward web/leg 126. Other sheet metal screws 127 (FIG. 4) may each extend into one of the panel face sheets from either the uprights 74 or supports 92. The exemplary uprights and supports are out of phase so that each upright is transversely offset from the adjacent supports (or vice versa). As noted above, the transverse upright spacing may correspond to a shelf width/pitch. The exemplary uprights, supports, and braces are unitarily formed of a metal such as steel.

FIG. 6 shows further details of the exemplary panel 86. The panel 86 and its sheets 106 and 104 have a common length L and height H. The exemplary L is greater than H. Exemplary H values are 0.8-1.0 m. As is discussed below, exemplary L values are 1.5-4.0 m. Exemplary thickness T (FIG. 5) is 4-6 cm. Exemplary sheet thickness (not shown) is 1.0 mm or less.

Opposite the insert 100 along the panel upper edge are a pair of end-to-end aligned insert strips 130 and 132. Along the left and right edges of the panel between the insert 100 and the insert strips 130 and 132 are lateral edge insert strips 134 and 136. The exemplary insert strips have a rectangular section elongate between the sheets and are formed of a polystyrene foam. The strips and insert 100 may be assembled to the sheets by applying adhesive between the strips and insert and the inboard faces of the sheets adjacent the perimeter of each sheet. This may leave an empty interior volume between the sheets. A gap may be left between the strips 130 and 132 through which the barrel of a foam gun may be inserted. As the foam is introduced through the gun, the gun may be swept to allow the foam to completely fill the interior space to form the core 108 upon hardening. A filler block 138 may then be inserted into the gap and secured by adhesive. In alternative embodiments, one or more holes may be drilled in the insert and/or strips through which one or more guns are inserted to introduce the foam.

The lower panel 88 may be identical to the upper panel 86. This may be so even if no fasteners are secured through the insert 100 of the lower panel. This use of the lower panel may be justified by economy of scale manufacturing considerations. Alternatively, in the lower panel 88, the strip 100 may be replaced by one or more polystyrene foam strips (e.g., identical to the strips 130, 132, and block 138 for similar economies of scale). In the exemplary embodiment, the strip 130 is shown shorter than the strip 132. This is merely another artifact of economy of scale manufacture. By providing strips of two different lengths, different combinations of such strips may be used to assembly panels of different lengths. For example, the panel length may be associated with the length of two of the shorter strips, two of the longer strips, or one of either strip. With such permutations, the block 138 may serve to facilitate panel length not exactly the length of a given strip or combination.

FIG. 7 shows an alternate configuration of a case 200 wherein the supports 202 are substantially full height. For greater structural integrity, the upper panel 86 is flipped (relative to its use in the case 20) so that the insert 100 falls along the upper edge. Fasteners may secure the uprights and supports to the insert as previously discussed.

One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the foregoing teachings may be applied in the reengineering of an existing case configuration. In such a reengineering, details of the existing configuration will influence or dictate details of any particular implementation. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A refrigerated case apparatus (20) comprising: a base (30); a plurality of supports (92) extending upward from the base; a plurality of structural uprights (70; 72; 74) coupled to the supports; at least one insulated panel (86; 88) between the uprights and the supports and secured to the uprights and the supports; and a refrigeration apparatus (60) positioned to cool an interior (36) of the case, wherein: at least a first (86) of the panels comprises: a front liner sheet (104); a rear liner sheet (106); a transversely extending polymeric member (100) at least partially between the front and rear liner sheets; and an insulative foam layer (108) between the front and rear liner sheets; and a plurality of fasteners (110; 112) secure at least some of the supports to the polymeric member and at least some of the uprights to the polymeric member.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the polymeric member (100) consists essentially of cellular PVC; the insulative foam layer (108) consists essentially of polyurethane; the front (104) and rear (106) liner sheets comprise steel; and the fasteners (110; 112) comprise screws.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the polymeric member extends along a majority of a transverse length of the first panel.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the first panel has only a single said polymeric member, although optionally including one or more other polymeric members differing from the polymeric member (100) in at least one of composition and configuration.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the first panel (86) individually is transversely elongate and essentially rectangular; the first panel (86) individually has a thickness of 2-10 cm.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the first panel (86) individually is transversely elongate and essentially rectangular; the first panel (86) individually has a length of at least 60 cm, a height of at least 50 cm, and thickness of 4-6 cm.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the first panel (86) individually is transversely elongate and essentially rectangular; the first panel (86) individually has a length of 1.5-4.0 m, a height of 0.8-1.0 m, and thickness of 4-6 cm.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a transverse cross-section of the polymeric member (100) is substantially characterized by a rectangle centrally recessed (114) along a single long side, said single long side being an inboard side.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the platform comprises: a plurality of transverse base rails (50; 52); and a plurality of front-to-back braces (90) secured atop the base rails.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each support (92) has a height no greater than 60% of a height of the apparatus.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each support (92) has a height no greater than 80% of a height of each upright.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said plurality of supports (92) include: a left support; a right support; and a plurality of intermediate supports; said plurality of uprights include: a left upright (70); a right upright (72); and a plurality of intermediate uprights (74); and said plurality of fasteners (110; 112) include: a single screw securing the left upright to the polymeric member; a single screw securing the right upright to the polymeric member; and a plurality of pairs of screws, each remaining upright being secured to the polymeric member by a single such pair and each support being secured to the polymeric member by a single such pair.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a plurality of shelves, each shelf mounted to at least two of the uprights.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: at least some of the uprights are not transversely aligned with any of the supports; and at least some of the supports are not transversely aligned with any of the uprights.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: at least some of the supports have a rearwardly-open channel cross-section; and at least some of the uprights have a generally I-shaped cross-section. 16.-22. (canceled) 